She couldnt have changed like that! When James spots his former wife, he loses his voice.
No, it cant be her. I cant believe Emily would look so different. James freezes in front of the glass front of an upscale restaurant on Bond Street, watching his ex from a discreet distance.
A glamorous blonde sits by the window, typing thoughtfully on a laptop. A waiter places a glass of freshly squeezed juice and a pastry topped with raspberries and strawberries on the table.
How does she look so flawless? And where did she get that pricey bracelet? It must have cost a fortune. James bites his lip, steps aside, hoping she wont notice him.
***
James and Emily meet six years ago. James just finishes university and lands a graduate position at a wellknown construction firm. His career takes off quickly.
At a trade show for building equipment, James strikes up a conversation with a pleasant young woman manning one of the stalls.
What are you doing standing among all these excavators? Lets grab a coffee instead. he says cheerfully.
They chat. Emily, shy and friendly, instantly catches Jamess eye.
Thats the kind of woman I need he thinks. She never argues, she agrees with everything. Shell make the perfect, obedient wife.
Shes a little roundbodied but I can send her to the gym. And if she ever gets you know, after the kids, Ill have a side he mutters, handing her a coffee cup.
What are you doing here at the show? James jokes as they step outside.
I write short stories and dream of becoming a screenwriter, Emily admits, smiling shyly, her blue eyes shining.
I just finished my literature degree, still finding my footing. I still have to pay the rent. she adds.
Great. She has no money, no family. I could shape her however I want. Shell cook, keep the house, raise the children, and obey me without question, James ponders, already bragging to himself.
***
James buys a coffee from a kiosk across the street, sits on a bench, and keeps watching Emily. When she steps out, James cant believe his eyes. She walks with a graceful stride, wrapped in a mink coat. He never imagined Emily could look so polished after three years. When she slides into a sleek sports car, James is speechless.
She must have found a rich man. Theres no other explanation, he gulps down his hot coffee, clutching the cup tightly.
Emily drives away in an unknown direction.
That night James lies awake for hours. After the breakup, Emily blocks him on all social networks. Frustrated, James creates a new account just to stalk her pictures.
Jealousy, envy, hatred, fury he downs half a litre of whisky while feeling the full spectrum of negative emotions.
You couldnt have changed like this You were nobody, I took you in with no money, no flat, no looks. Where do these luxury photos come from? he mutters, scrolling through images of his ex posing in fivestar hotels, flaunting designer bags and jewellery.
She must have lost ten kilos those curves look surgery? Or does she spend every day in the gym? James snaps his phone shut, anger flaring.
***
In the morning James recollects a conversation with Emily.
Nonsense, who reads that? he says, shaking his head after reading a new story of hers.
Taste is personal, Emily replies timidly. I already have readers.
Readers? James smirks. Only people with no brain read that rubbish.
Emilys trembling voice pleads, James, why are you like this? Weve been together a year, and you cant accept that I might have my own passions. Im not criticizing your work, but you disappear into it all day.
Exactly, James shouts. If you helped me with the business, Id spend far less time in the office.
Thats an idea, James snaps back, standing up. Stop wasting time on useless writing and start helping me properly.
You want me to stop writing? Emily freezes by the window, shocked.
Yes, Emily. Playtime is over. If you want to keep our family and improve our life, youll quit the pointless stories and start contributing. James glares at her.
But my stories are my soul I cant just bury my whole life, Emilys eyes fill with tears.
I dont care. No one needs them. Right now youre useless, so start being useful. Every day Ill give you a task list, and youll follow it, he declares.
I dont understand this Youre taking what matters to me, Emily sobs, turning away.
Ungrateful. Ive supported you for a year. You live in my flat, I buy you gifts, I even took you on a holiday, James rants. Either help me or you can go anywhere you like.
No one forces you to stay. If you dont like it, the door is over there, he adds, pointing to the exit.
Emily wipes her cheeks on her shirt, shuts down her computer, and never writes a story again.
***
A year passes. James builds connections and amasses capital, partly from selling his grandmothers house. He launches his own construction firm. From dawn until dusk, Emily handles paperwork, prepares presentations, manages crews, and arranges meetings for him.
Another year later, James develops a gated housing estate and earns a tidy profit. He likes everything about his marriage to Emilyexcept her looks.
Under constant work pressure, Emily turns to sweets and rapidly gains weight.
How am I supposed to go out with this piglike woman? Im embarrassed to be seen with her. She was already a bit heavy before we married, and now shes so grotesque it makes me want to vomit, James complains to a mate at a pub in Shoreditch.
Yeah, its a grim sight, his friend replies, scrolling through a photo.
Time to bench her James says, downloading a dating app on his phone. I thought Id get a side fling when Emily had a baby, but shes become a nightmare. I need a replacement.
A sporty Olivia instantly agrees to be his new companion on their first date, and they slip away to a restroom in a trendy Mayfair restaurant. Unlike Emily, Olivia is demanding.
You love how I look, dont you? she whispers in his ear inside his plush flat with a panoramic nightcity view, a place James rents for discreet rendezvous.
Of course, James coos, trailing a feather from a pillow along her spine.
Ill need about three hundred pounds for hair, nails, a cosmetologist, gym Olivia lists, but James merely admires her beauty, already knowing he can afford a new level of success.
Within a month, Olivia pushes Emily out of Jamess thoughts. He spends almost no time at home, where Emily waits each evening.
I made you pasta with your favourite pesto sauce I even prepared the sauce myself, Emily greets James after his weeklong getaway with Olivia. How was the business trip?
Fine, James grunts. I wont eat.
Lets get back to work. How are we doing? To James, Emily now looks like just another employee. Even though she works for free, James demands more from her than from any other staff member.
A month later, James grows sick of seeing Emily in the office. His business starts to falterless time he devotes to work, higher personal expenses, contracts slipping away, partners pulling out. He blames everything on Emily and, in a bitter split, ensures she receives nothing in the divorce. He throws her out in a single day.
Three years later, James cant believe what he sees.
Based on geotags, her photos show she now lives in a suburb of Surrey, with some wealthy benefactor. James muses in his kitchen, I have a meeting with an investor nearby, so I could swing by her place Something feels off. A plain mouse cant just turn into a rose, he says, sipping his tea.
A message pops up from Olivia, whos now vacationing in the Emirates.
James, we should break up. Ive met someone else. No hard feelings. Ill send my things back, she writes.
And you think I paid for your trip! James erupts, typing a furious reply, hurling every insult he knows.
Youre emotional now, Ilya I get it. Accept whats coming, well talk calmly later, but Im blocking you. Drama ruins my skin, Olivias voice note says before she blocks his number.
After a rejected investor meeting, feeling miserable for no clear reason, James drives to the upscale estate where Emily lives. After a couple of hours in his car, a luxury vehicle pulls up beside his.
James, what are you doing here? Emily asks, startled, as he knocks three times on the gate.
I just came to see how youve settled, James mutters.
Seeing her nervousness, James eases his tone, genuinely wanting a glimpse of her new life.
I actually came to apologise. Ive realised a lot while youve been gone Its all very messy, he stammers, searching for a reason.
Messy? Emily scoffs, shaking her head. You banned me from writing. I worked for you for two years for free, cooked, cleaned, looked after the house, believed in you when everyone said youd fail And then you kicked me out in a day.
Fine, James, apologise, Emily says, wrapping her arms around herself.
Maybe you could at least let me in? Its awkward outside, James says, kicking a small stone.
Maybe I will Emily replies, not entirely unwilling to show her success to the man who treated her so badly.
Whos funding you? James asks, eyeing the spacious lounge. No one can build stone castles on honest work.
No one does. I bought everything myself, Emily says, heading to the kitchen.
Youre lying, James shouts, following her.
What are you surprised about? That I could change my looks, earn enough to live like this? Emily places a glass of water on the table.
How? James spins the glass, bewildered.
I went back to writing, but this time screenplays. I sold pilot episodes to several studios. They didnt think my work was rubbish, Emily smiles, fixing her hair. Today Im one of the countrys most recognised screenwriters; my series air on the main channels.
You said you were here to apologise, Emily says, sitting opposite him.
The thought that the best revenge is to succeed where your enemy thought youd fail hits James like a wave. The breakup with Olivia, the investors refusal, Emilys soaring careerall combine into a torrent of rage. He needs an outlet.
You were a grey mouse, ugly, talentless, without connections or a flat. All youve achieved is because of me. I put you in your place, taught you life, James says quietly. Half of your success and money belongs to me.
James, that hardly sounds like an apology, Emily replies, smirking. The only thing you gave me was a lesson on how deceitful people can be.
Youll get nothing from me, and its time you left, Emily stands, pointing him to the door.
You didnt understand, you rat. Open the safe or give me the money now, or you wont leave alive, James roars, losing control, grabbing Emilys elbow and dragging her into the lounge.
Let go, it hurts! Emily screams.
A grey mouse must stay a grey mouse, James snarls, shoving her onto the sofa.
Tell me where the safe is, or you wont get out, he threatens, brandishing a log he grabbed from the fireplace.
Single women get cats, Emily rubs her elbow, meets his gaze, and smiles. But Im not just any woman.
I dont care what you are, Emily If you dont hand over half the money now, Ill kill you, James hisses, swinging the log.
Youre wrong to think I care, Emily replies, still smiling, eyes drifting to a corner. I have dogs now. She gestures toward two large Dobermans standing a metre away, tongues lollovingly hanging. Meet Chilli and Willy.
James turns, sees the two muscular dogs staring him down, Chillis drool dripping onto the marble floor, Willys muscles tense.
Chilli, Willy, you thieves! Emily yells.
If anyone had seen Jamess face at that moment, the picture would have been priceless: his confidence shattered, his throat dry, pleading eyes fixed on Emily.
The Dobermans, hungry from the night, lunge as Emily rushes to feed them. James tries to flee, but the door is only a halfmetre away. The scene erupts into a chaotic clash, police sirens, and a flood of stitches.
Cameras in Emilys house catch everything. James receives a suspended sentence and never finds his way back to the life he once had with his exwife.
Today Emily is thriving. Rumour has it shes married a talented director, is happy, and expecting a child.
They say every successful woman has a man who broke her heart, and the sweetest revenge is to prove you can live without him. Whether that holds true in our world is for you to decide. One thing is certain: if a person truly believes in themselves, theyll always make it.
